I thought this little mod up for my buddy's truck since he wanted more light outside the truck, in the dark to get ready to hunt. He's really enjoyed them so far, so I decided to do them on mine as well. I also had a few members request a How To so here it is.

This is for the front doors only, I haven't figured out the back's yet, but they will be added here when I do.

Estimated time 1.5hours tops

Supplies
-soldering gun and solder
-wire strippers
-heat shrink tubing and electrical tape
-small 20ga wire
-Philip's head screw driver
-torx bit screw driver
-razor blade/pocket knife
-lighter or heat gun
-Dremel Tool with a drill bit
-2 square 4 LED modules like these I picked up off eBay(SMD strips will do, but not as bright)Attachment 308368
They come in smaller sets, but I got the 20 so I can do bed lights or some other projects at a later date, these things are super versatile

Attachment 308369
When you get the lights they'll be attached to each other like this with leads out each end

Attachment 308372
Then you'll cut off the two leads on one end as they won't be needed. You can put a dab of superglue over them if you'd like to keep it weather tight

Attachment 308373
Also note that there are + and - markings on each wire, you'll need to keep in mind which is which when it comes time to tap into the door harness later. I attached a 16" piece of wire to each and heat shrunk the joint I keep it together tight

Attachment 308371
Next you'll move on to the door and snap off the switch and handle bezels and remove the two screws you can see here. The lower one was a torx head on my passenger side, but the rest were Phillips heads

Attachment 308376
Also remove the two Philips heads screws at the bottom of the panel

Attachment 308374
You'll then lift the panel up off the door and unplug your factory door light and let it hang. It's also a good idea to unhook your battery at this point so you don't accidentally touch the wires together later and blow a fuse.

Attachment 308375
Next I used the 3M adhesive on the light to attach it to the panel right to the inside of the outer screw hole. I then drilled a small hole in the corner to run the two wires through. It's important to drill in the corner or you'll end up with the wires in the door pocket which would look bad and be a weak point.

Attachment 308377
Next you will take the panel back to the truck and strip a small amount of insulation off each wire on the door light, black with blue tracer is +, all black is -. You'll then solder the corresponding LED wire to it, Heat shrink the joint, wrap the the harness in tape to keep it all together, then lay the harness around the peg on the door as shown in the picture. This helps keep the wire out of the way during installation of the panel. The wire is not tight tight, but its got enough tension on it to keep it from falling down.

Attachment 308378Attachment 308379Attachment 308381
Now you'll reinstall the panel in reverse order of disassembly and enjoy your new lights! Note that the door lock can be a bit of a booger to get back through the hole, and the tabs on the back of the door have to align in their holes just right to all go back together flush, just take your time and it'll go back fine.

Thanks for reading, I'm here for any questions you might have.

ibd2328

04-12-2014 12:45 AM

I like it... You and your lighting lol

BrowningSCrew

04-12-2014 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibd2328
(Post 3425757)

I like it... You and your lighting lol

Thanks, and I know, but they're pretty handy out getting ready to hunt before daylight or if you drop something getting out lol

ibd2328

04-12-2014 01:01 AM

haha i doubt you have any issues in the dark.. I bet you have 300 flashlights in the back seat..

My door handle lights do pretty good at finding stuff on the ground too.... However, it current doesnt have a battery, or enginge in it lol

BrowningSCrew

04-12-2014 01:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibd2328
(Post 3425781)

haha i doubt you have any issues in the dark.. I bet you have 300 flashlights in the back seat..

My door handle lights do pretty good at finding stuff on the ground too.... However, it current doesnt have a battery, or enginge in it lol

I actually only have one Maglite under the drivers seat lol

Buckshot482

04-12-2014 01:26 AM

So you just used one square per door? And it put out that much light? I was about to do this with the led strips but now you got me changing my mind.

BrowningSCrew

04-12-2014 01:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buckshot482
(Post 3425806)

So you just used one square per door? And it put out that much light? I was about to do this with the led strips but now you got me changing my mind.

Yeah that's one light per door, its crazy bright. Strips would be ok, but not nearly this bright.

Buckshot482

04-12-2014 01:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrowningSCrew
(Post 3425809)

Yeah that's one light per door, its crazy bright. Strips would be ok, but not nearly this bright.

Yeah, those looks so much brighter then led strips. I just got 10 meters of it in the mail Wednesday, but I think I'm going this route now lol

mattmark6

04-12-2014 01:53 AM

Sub'd I like this mod. Looks good

03heritageboyjr

04-12-2014 02:06 AM

That's a really good idea, I love those little lights they are super bright.